Departing from my usual tips, I want to answer a question I get asked pretty frequently. That is, what is the biggest obstacle people encounter in their job/career search? The answer is, essentially, themselves.

Not to stereotype or generalize, but I find that my female and military clients are the humblest. A beautiful quality, except when it comes to negotiating position, salary and/or promotion. In the case of my very high-achieving, top-performing clients, this is a tragedy.

Time and again I see employers negotiate down a salary, promise a promotion that never comes, or promise eventual additional pay for double the responsibility and headaches, that also never comes. Many times, I see clients get stuck in roles they hate – because they settled. We are all guilty of doing so at some point in our career.

Know your worth! Be your own solution to your negotiation problems. You can be sure the employer is going to look out for their bottom line. That’s their job. Your job is to provide for your family and lifestyle. Do NOT settle! – and the employer that asks you to do so, is not the employer for you.